The address on this flier is WRONG! It is actually 4525 N Canyon Road in Provo, not 4295 N Canyon Road. There are a few chapels on Canyon road, it is the one that is almost to the north end of the road (where it connects into University Ave heading towards Heber). It is right before the Elementary school. If you are by Timpview high school, you need to keep heading north until the light (that if you head West, you'll head down by Riverwoods). Sorry about the misprint! See you Sunday!!

Christmas 2013 card

 

My homemade Christmas card :) 

We hope you have a fantastic Christmas and wish you nothing but joy, love and abundance in the New Year. 

Feliz Navidad, Kilisamasi Fiefia, Mele Kalikimaka and Merry Christmas!!

Love,

The Garcia's

Joshua, Heilala, Gabriel, Gissela, Melena'a and baby

ROC fireside

This Sunday, December 15th, is ROC's (Remembering Our Culture) annual Christmas fireside. It will be held at 4525 North Canyon Road Provo, Utah at 7pm. We will have a guest guitarist and light refreshments afterwards.

I can't tell you how much I love and hate ROC firesides. I love them because the music is so beautiful and the Spirit is just so strong! I hate them because the music is so beautiful and the Spirit is so strong that it makes me cry. Every single time. I've heard these songs how many times?? Yet each time I hear them again, my testimony grows as I feel the Spirit whisper to my heart "It is true".

One song gets to me every single time we sing it. I have to focus during practice so I don't end up crying. I don't have any attachments to the song, but I remember the first time hearing it. My heart was racing and I just felt so overwhelmed that I began to cry uncontrollably. The words pierced my soul as if they were written just for ME. Lluvia Campbell has written most (I think all but 1 or 2) of the songs we will be singing. She wrote most of these before I even joined the group. Which was only in March of this year. Yet this song was written as a message to me from my Father in heaven. I want to share a little bit about it with you.

We call it the D&C song, I don't even know what the title is. As soon as I hear D&C I just moan and groan because I know I'm going to get a flashback of my life's journey. The words of the chorus go:

"Savior you remembered me. You did not just let me be. And I can see what you want me to be. And I can see that you have, Lord you have a plan for me."

At least those are the words we sing as a choir, I'm not sure what the soloist words are. These words hit me hard every single time we sing them. He never forgets you. He knows you and wants you to reach your full potential. It's hard to think about that when times get rough. When things get hard or life's storms start to pick up and toss you around like a ball on the ping-pong table, you feel lost as if your life is out of control, or out of YOUR control. But I think that's the problem. Who IS in control? It's definitely not me. My life doesn't ever go my way. And when it does, it's never for the reasons I want it to be.  But when He is in control, you begin to see that there's more to life than trials and tests. It's a preparation ground for bigger and better things. He won't just "let you be". Life is motion, the ultimate motionlessness is death! Why would He let you stay where you are? Are you perfected? Are you at your full potential? No, we will never reach that full potential here. It is all completed in the next stages. So why on this earth, in this state, would He "let you be"? He knows your potential, your plan, and He has the best way to get there.

I've always had a hard time with this concept. I couldn't understand why I had to go through certain things. Why me? Why these situations? Why can't I just be a rich brat with everything I want? Or why can't I just be a skinny mom who bakes and does crafts all day? Why wasn't I blessed with an amazing voice, athletic ability or even just an ear for music? Why did I have to grow up struggling with my family? Why did I have to have hardships in my marriage? Why did I have to struggle with my self-worth/image the way that I did? Why, why WHY????

Those aren't my gifts. Those aren't the trials I needed to face. Those aren't what I needed to reach my potential. I had the struggles I had because they helped ME get stronger. I have the gifts that I have because they help me get through my trials and help those I meet along the way. I used to think my sister had it easy. She is practically perfect in every way. She can sing, dance, cook, draw, write, play musical instruments by ear, she listens to my parents, is completely honest and is the friendliest, most sincere and loving, kindest, big hearted person I know. It is ANNOYING. It's like, can you get any more perfect???? But as I have gotten closer to her and learned of the trials she faces and struggles with, my heart is humbled. I could never, NEVER deal with what she deals with.

We are all different, yet we are all the same. We have our strengths, weaknesses, trials, blessings, ect. But we have ONE Savior. We have ONE Master. We have ONE God. We have ONE life. And we are ONE people. He knows you, even by name. He knows your plan. He knows your potential. But do you know HIM enough to let Him guide you? I sure didn't. And I still don't. Every time I hear this song it is a reminder to me that it is Him that I need. And I'm the only one that can ask Him for help.

I wish I could write the whole song for you. I wish I could sing it for you. I wish you could feel what I feel when I hear it. But I do know this. If you come to the fireside this Sunday, you will feel what HE wants you to feel. This is the message I hear, I feel, I know is for me. Your message may be different. That is the beauty of the Spirit. It reaches our SOUL in a way only you would understand. Come join us as we celebrate the birth of our Savior. Come listen with your ears and your hearts as we praise Him and sing of His matchless love. I hope to see you there :)

-Lala

Our Angel Gabriel

I wanted to write a post about our little man yesterday but I was too swamped to even touch the computer. (Except for the "dinosaur" cake picture I needed.) So even though I'm a day late, I wanted to write a post about our sweet little angel Gabriel.

Gabriel has definitely been a blessing in our lives. Not just for Joshua and myself, but for our families and those who associate with him. Joshua and I had a bit of a rough time during the beginning of our marriage, but Gabriel was someone we both needed, loved and cared for and he really held us together. He is our rock. I was 4 months pregnant with Gabriel when we got married. A few weeks before we went to get my ultrasound, I was absolutely POSITIVE he was a girl. I wanted to name him J'La, J for Joshua and La for Lala. When we found out he was a boy, I was absolutely furious and Joshua was absolutely ecstatic. He couldn't be more happier. When Gabriel was born, something changed in Joshua. He was so protective, he wouldn't let me out of the house for a month. He was so loving and caring towards Gabriel. We have a million pictures of Gabriel in his first year because Joshua could not stop clicking at his camera. He was just so happy to have his BOY! I had a rough time after Gabriel was born. I had postpartum and a lot of his first year I don't remember much, other than crying, facebooking and telling myself I needed to get up. But as the years have gone by, I still can't believe that the Lord blessed me with such a sweet angel of a son.

I know for a fact he was put into our lives for a reason. We needed him. We still need him and we probably always will need him in our lives. He was so cute when he was born, I couldn't stand it. He was so pretty!! People constantly thought he was a girl when he was clearly dressed as a boy. He was your typical baby/toddler throughout the years, but he was special in his own way. He walked at 10 months, then decided to run a few days later. He ate EVERYTHING. Until Joshua started giving him "healthy" stuff, now he's really picky. But he can EAT. He had the absolute best pout. His big bottom lip, huge eyes and cute dimples made him (still make him) irresistible and no one (except mom) could say no. Now he's just too smart for me. I'm not sure if he learned it from his dad, or if it's in his genes (from dad) but he can weasel his way out of anything. If you don't say something right or specific he can get himself out of anything. Regardless, I am just so grateful he is in our lives. And I'm even more grateful to know that even after this life, he will continue to be a part of our "lives".

So a few things about this amazing little man:

• BLUE is his favorite color. If it's blue, he loves it.

• He remembers EVERYTHING. Don't tell him anything unless you absolutely mean it, it's absolute truth or you can prove it.

• He is Captain America. I am not sure where this came from but that is his favorite superhero.

• He loves PANCAKES. Out of everything I could make, he will say pancakes. If he sees the box/bag of pancake mix he will ask for it every meal. He wanted to go to "the pancake house" for his birthday (iHop). 

• His best friends consists of his cousins and a few friends from Indonesia, Mongolia, Mexico and American Fork.

• If he asks you a question and you don't know the answer, he will come up with the answer and it will be truth from that time forth.

• He thinks he is a model. He will pose for you if you have a camera or he will tell you where and how he thinks he should stand so you can take a picture of him.

• He has a creative mind. He is really into (and really good) at playing with Lego's. He can draw pretty well for his age and he makes sure to explain it to detail just in case you don't know what it is. He makes up his own ideas of how things work and how things could work.

• He and Joshua could be brothers. And since he doesn't have any (yet), they are practically brothers. Their relationship is one that I love and KNOW began before this life and will forever continue beyond.

the day he was born

Gabriel is very sweet and sensitive. He is protective of his sisters and knows he is the BIG brother. He has a heart of gold. He is always concerned about each of us. When I was checked into the hospital to have Na'a, he laid by my side and was so worried because "mommy was hurting". When Gissi was born, he didn't exactly know what to do with her but if someone came to close he made sure to let them know she was HIS sister. If I am crying (I'm a crybaby, I can't help it pregnant or not) he is so concerned and always lets me know "mommy, I love you ." He has been such a blessing to us and to others around us. I have come to terms with the possibility of Gabriel being our only boy. If that's the case, I'm so glad it's him! Since I found out I was going to have him, I have loved him more than I thought I could love another person. He has taught me love, patience, kindness, faith and charity. The past 5 years have flown by and I am so excited for the years to come! Happy birthday my sweet angel boy!!

With his daddy's abuelita

With grandma (mom's mom)

We like to take selfies.

Our little man now.

No, I don't know what he's doing, I just said do a silly face.